Air impeller for refrigerator cars



A. F. O'CONNOR fAIR I'MPELLER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed March 21, 1946 July 22, 1952 2 Sl-IEETS-SHEEIT l y 5 A. F. O'CONNOR 2,604,028

AIR IMPELLER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed March 21, 1946 I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented July 22, 1952 .AIB, IMPELLER FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Arthur F. OCon'nor, Chicago, 111., assignor-to Union Asbestosand' RubberCompany, Chicago, 111., a corporation-of Illinois Application March 21, 1946,'Serial No. 656,095 a 8 Claims.

t Tl'leinvention relates to refrigerator cars and like; vehicles; used to transport perisha ble commodities,,.such as iruits and vegetables and, more particularly, to,.cars.equipped with air impellers tion, economical to m'anufacture and being cheaper and .lighter in weightthan the box-like housingsof the priorgart. -Anotherobject the provision oi new "and and, stillzmore particularly, to cars-equipped with 5 novelarrangementof the conventional, water- 'airiimpellers. removable fromthe car while the proof H001 covering 'toaccommodate the mount: car launder-load, 7. v ing. of myfimproved impelleron'the cariloor, I: An important object is to-provide an improved The f oregoingtand other. objects andachianan: impeller-intermediate thecar floor proper and tages of the invention will be more readily jap: the ,ladingZandmovableintonand out of the car parent from the following description whenread independent, of -the lading .floor and the lading mcQnnecti-onwith the accompanying drawing, in thereon;- theinventionbeing an improvement in which-e the removable air impeller of my co-pendingpat- Figure 1 is ahoriz ontalsection thlfGllghfihporrent application, Serial No. 652,758, filed. March tion of a. refrigerator car, showingin plan the 7 1946, Y i impeller and the cooperating portions of thecar. r Agiurther object. is the provision of an air im- Figure 2 is: an enlarged fragmentary sectidnal paler-including a housing wherein the side walls view vvtakenalong 1i .z z of Figure 1, thereof are inclined throughout the upper part Figure, 3 is afragmentary verticalsection or the; housing toward the top of the housing cO- throughthe car showing, inclevation the oppofl i longitudinal nt r of t e hous 2 site endof the impeller to that shown in-Figure l. adapted t p r i h 'm r 'i 0f the lading flOOI Figures 4, 5 and 6 show; diagrammaticallm alon. opposed sides of the impeller -to overlie the'internate cross-sectional configurations ofv the imv clined portions of the housing andsupport the I peller housing and base portions. v lading above the impeller independent thereof. 1 In the drawings, the carstructuremayr' elude Another't'object isthe provision or improved a floor-10 side walls 12 and- HL-and a floor-covmeans for-maintaining the impeller in its operaering |1s h side walls-andrfl maybe-0f tive position and against-movement in one direce ti nal 'msu-lated construction. 'I'he'car; may tion transverselyof the car aslong as the'impeller be provided at each end thereof with an 10.8 dooris closedand latched. bunker (not shown) and a conventional bulls,-

' An h r ject is top videimproved means so head separating theicebunkerfrom an adjacent "for rigidifying the overlying spaced'margins of lading compartment; the conventional refrigerar the ladingfloor. sec i n n opp s d sides of th tor car having an ice bunker at each. endztherveoi. impeller; whereby to resist any tendency of the A air impeller l8v may extend transversely; of margins to depressinto engagement with the imth g l ithin the lading' compartment area P 11 3 Caused y the lading pp d by the thereof h aving flatwise relationwiththefloorI'll. margins. n V A sectional lading floor 2!) maybe provided inth'e A: further object is the'provision of new and -l.a,dipg cqmpa rtment, adapted tosu'pportthe ladnovel: arrangement of the margins of the lading ing ln'pverlying, spaced relation with the'floor-Tll floor? sections on opposed sides of the impeller a d r vid a du t 1 1 t inter..'floor*sfia ]ce wherebvthey will-be maintained in spaced over- 40 communicating 1th the opposed ice" bunkers of lying; relation therewith and whereby thespace the a b tween he pp edmare n m y conform w The lading floor Zn-may comprise stringers or them ximump nni sibl p c -.120, accommodate beams 22 extending longitudinally-of the amend the movement of wheeled trucks over the lading interrupted at one 'point-to-provide' an interfloor floon space for the impeller I8; with transverse: slats Another object is the-provisionvof an improved supported thereon;-theladingfioor being Pretalr impellerhousing, the inner walls of whichare erably made in sections hinged to; the walls 12 .substantiallyequally spaced from and tangential and I4- and separated alongthe I longitudinal with, the perip ry of e ets of impeller. blade center-oi the car, whereby they may'beswung tips, adapted to eliminate pockets which create fromhorizontal tovertical positions adjacent turbulence and interfere with the free circular the side walls I'ZandM, as for purpose of cleanmovement of the impelled air in the housing and ing the car floor l0 decrease the efficiency of the impeller. The air impeller [8 may include an, elongated A further object is to provide an improved housing preferably formed, of a 'sheet.of ;me'ta1 housing for an am impeller simple in construcarcuatein sectionthr ughout its upperchaltp 'on tion and one quarter of its lower portion with a substantially fiat marginal portion 26 extending laterally. of and outwardly of the vertical center of the housing; the other marginal portion 28 of the sheet extending ina vertical plane fromadjacent the horizontal center of the housing to and being afiixedto theflat portion 26, as by welding 30. A flat plate 32 maybe secured. to the housing on the opposed side of and in co-planar alignment with the flat portion 26 and may extend outwardly from the housing equidistant with the fiat' portion 26. The housing maybe rigidified adjacent the plate'32 by a series of spaced 1 lateral flange portion 52.

vertical web members 38 having their lower edges 1 aflixed'to the plate 32 and one upstanding edge registering with and being aflixed to the lower H arcuate portion of the housing. The wallportion 28 maybe formed with a series of spaced outlet openings 34 and the'opposed wall of the housing may;be.formed with spaced inlet openings 36 in {Sta gered relation with the openingsfSA. The

endear the housing maybe closed by'fwalls 40. fWhile I.ha ve, shownin' the drawings a housing three; quarters thereof, having in mind the econolny of forming the, greater jpartjof the housing single; sheetfdfireadily obtainable. ma-

. t m at f he use housin av g t. of Ta" 15115 r lfc nfi uratiqnjs and. qqQ e ai nsib e 7 r ions il us a d ia ra ic l .ifiF 4,

Sand 6 of the drawings." 'As shown inFigure A, the housing [8a is completely cylindrical'and-is g pq e brflat' a z 2? ewr iQ h m 7 p: arcuate configurationthroughout substantially 4 application.

'portion":thereof and extending outwardly therei According" to Fi ure 5; the housing is m in the shape of an inverted channel 18b withfits lower edges secured to the edge portions of a flatgbase'plate 3212. In Figure 6, the housing 18o is cylindrical and is mounted on angle plates 32c which are secured to opposite sides thereof with their base flanges in alignment 'It will be understood that the impeller" housings now in general use: are box-like" in' section," have -relatively square corners {creating fpockets f which set up a turbulence within the housing and interfere with the'efli'ciency of the impeller) and "have flat tops which support a part of the ladin 'witl certain types of lading '(in small- 7 jcartons'or boxes) exertsa retarding'influ'ence on theimpeller as it is moved in a-direction transversely of the car, as when removing the impeller .fo f ifipl cement'. V 1 v I f a Within therhousing'" an elongated shaft 52 may be journaled in mountings affixed to the'opposed end. walls {Wand'by'iiite'rmediate mountings (not if desired. 1 Thejsha ft maybe rotated by anysuitable means, shown as a driving pulley A4 removably ainxed thereto adifacentone end there- '"of. The shaft supports withinthe housing a plurality of sets of impeller blades 46 extending 4 closed by a shroud 50 in the form of a relatively thin metal strip. 7 r

= The shroud 50 may be arcuate in configuration and may extend from the upper end of an outlet opening 34 around the arcuate inner surface of the housing substantially to the vertical center:

of thehousing adjacent the'flat portion 26. The

' shroud may be disposed a vertical plane and,

may be aflixed to the inner surface of the housing in any suitable manner, as by means of a The opposed outer marginal fiat portion 26 and the plate 32 may be provided with fastening members 54 comprising elongated strips of spring steel secured adjacent one end in flatwise relation with the flat portion 26 and the plate 32 and provided adjacent the other end portion with an arched portion adapted to be depressed, under tension, when the housing is in operative position, as hereinafter explained.

A substantially flat, elongated plate 56,1naybe secured inflatwise relation with the*ca1 floor I!) adapted to slidably support the impeller unit and may be provided along 'its opposedlmargins with upstanding detents 58 terminating at their upper portions in inwardly turned'lateral'flang'es adapted to overlie and depress the fastening members 5 4 when the impeller; is in; operative position. The: specific ii astening membersand cooperating detents shown jand described do friot form a part of the presentinvention, being 'covered in my befforementioned ico-pendingfpatent A door opening'fill anddoor 6| may be provided in the side wall l4 in substantially axial'alignment with the impeller adapted to permit -the application or removal-of'the impeller'through 'the-door-opening 60 The door may be removed axiallyfor application or removal of the unit and when in place may be secured'by any desired type :of latching means not shown.

' The inner surface of thedoor 6i may bepro vided with a yieldable stop member '62 "adapted to engage the adjacent end of the impeller unit whereby to maintain the impeller'unit from moving transversely of the car when it is in operative position and the door is closed and secured. The

--radially outward. from theshaft. As best-shown iniFig..2;.-' the blades are carried by blocks .48 adapted to be clamned'or keyed .to the shaft, wli'ereby the blocks I 48 may be dispos'ediin operati-ve position-within'fthe housing and the. shaft inserted through' thefaligned blocks during assembly o'f the impeller unit. 'It will be noted that eachfof the sets of blades is disposed opposite an outletiopening 34 and thatthe inlet openings 36 communicate with the spaces between the sets of ,blades. The blades may be relatively narrowadjacent the shaftiand may be' fiared outwardly i to" wider portions at their tips. The widened outer portions of the blades may be partially'enmember '62 may comprise 'a spaced pair 'ofretainer members 64 aii'ixedto the door'6l; a member 66 cooperatively associated with the retaining members for restricted .movement toward and away from the door 6| andaa resilient member 68 intermediate the door and member 66- adapted to normally urge the member 56 in a direction away from the door. Therstop member .62-is adapted to compensate for any variation in the distance between the end of the impeller and the door 6! when the impeller is in operative position,

such variations being common in refrigerator cars. The member 68 may comprise a block of rubber or suitable spring material formed with openings 68' to facilitate flexing and'se'cured at one end to the member 66 and at its other end to the door to support the member 66 from the door.

The'sections of lading fioor 20 on opposed sides of the impeller unit ma be provided alongltheir opposed margins with a flat metal. plate, "[0

adapted to overlie the housing of the; impeller unit whereby to support the lad ing directly 'over the impeller in spaced relation therewith. "The opposed edges of the plates") above the impeller unit may be spacedapart approximately .the same distance as the conventionalspacing between the lading 'fioor slats "24 in order to insure a lading supporting surface having uniform and "even portions of the a structure.

spacing to" accommodate the: use of wheeled trucks thereon; Therundersi'des ofath'e opposed s margins of the plates lo-"may be-beveled in 'order that' theymay project toward each; other 's'ufilcient teprovide a space therebetween not in :excess of the permissible distance.

"'It will occur to those skilled in" the-art that the sections of lading floor on opposed sides of the impeller unit may be joined, above 'the impeller unit, by a single plate adapted to space the lading above the unit and I contemplate such However, such a construction requires a housing smaller in cross-section and shorter blades, inasmuch as any "further: raising of the lading floorisprohibited. The distance between the car floor proper and the load-i supporting-surface of the la'din'g 'flcg r determines the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the impeller housing as no part effthe housing may project-above the load-supporting surface ofthe =la'dingfio'or. The lading floors have been prog'ressively raised, with relation to the floor proper,

since the original u'se 'of air impellers, reducing "the head-room incars and reducing ladi'ng capacity with each increase "in heightt'o a point where the car owners and s'hippershave' finally refused to permit any increase in the lading floor height. It will benoted, as best shown in Fig. 2, that the car floor i is depressed coincident with the location of the base plate 56- and I contein the present invention is to provide improved means for supporting thelading above theimpeller independentthereof whereby neith'er'the lading nor the lading floor will retard the free movement of the impeller transversely of the car intoand out of the car while fully loaded.

' It is generally known that air impellers of the type now in general use in refrigerator cars must continue to function from the time the car is loaded with fruit or vegetables and sealed until it reaches a predetermined unloading point in order to meet the minimum requirements of such a car. It is also generally known that the presently used impellers do not continue to function and that numerous cars, loaded on the West coast and destined for the East coast, are detected at intermediate points with inoperative impellers. When such cars are detected with inoperative impellers the car must be set out of the train. the large side doors opened, the load in the affected part of the car must be removed (before the impeller unit may be seen), the impeller must be released from its securement to the car floor (generally bolts or lag screws), the impeller must be removed from the car and repaired or replaced, the lading must be re-loaded. Most perishable commodities transported in refrigerator cars will deteriorate under such delays and lack of continuous refrigeration and will result in the loss of entire car loads of such commodities, valued at from one thousand dollars to several thousand dollars per car.

The present invention is adapted to eliminate this very serious situation which threatens the preclusion of the use of the impellers now in use, by making it possible to remove an impeller and replace it in the car from the exterior of the car.

While the embodiments of the invention have "car side wall, 'i'mpe'ller'means in the casing, driving means connected-to theimpeller means, the lending floorabove the impeller being inter- '8 been shown and described: "in detail; :it: "will J Joe understood that "this." is: illustrative only and. is

not intended. as a definition. of the scope of the invention, reference being hadforf this purpose to the appended claims:

I claim: 1 1. In a refrigerator car havinga floor and a ladin'g'ztloor spaced'thereabove, and beams-supporting the ladingxfloor and interruptedat one point: toleave aninterfloor space extending transversely of? the car, and a side wall formed with an opening registering with sai'd space', an

' air impeller unit comprising an elongated housing havin'g'a top; a bottom,' and sides formed with air: inlet-and outlet openings and or a height and out of the 'interfloor' space through the-openingin thecar side wall, the housing b'eingspaeed from'the lading floor whereby "it can be moved into and out of the interfloor' sp'ace independent of the lading, an' elongated rotor in -the housing carried thereby'for circulating air through 'ithe openings and driving means connected to the motor to "turn'it.

"2;: In a refrigerator carhaving a floor, a lading floor spaced above the floor, a series ofsp'aced beams supporting 'the' l'adingfloor and interrupted'at one point to provide an inter-floorspace extending transversely across the car, and an opening 'in onei side wall of the car "in register with saidinterfloor' space, an air impeller unit j comprising an elongated casing' h'avin'g 'a' curved l top, mounting means secured'to thecar' fiooriin said space slidably to support casing for sliding movement transversely of the car into and out" of said space through the opening in the rupte'd transversely of the car andthe portions thereof on opposite sides of the interruption partially overlying tlie'c'asing" in spaced relation therewith and complementing each other to form a lading supporting floor above and independent of said unit.

3. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and a floor, a lading floor spaced above said first named floor, a series of spaced beams supporting the lading floor and interrupted at one point to provide an interfloor space extending transversely across the car the combination of an air impeller unit disposed transversely of the car in the inter-floor space, means mounting the unit for movement transversely of the car into and out of operative position, driving means connected to the unit a door opening in said wall coincident one end of said unit, the upper part of said unit being spaced below the load bearing surface of said lading floor independent thereof, said unit being movable into and out of operative position and into and out of the car, through said door opening, independent of the lading floor and the lading thereon.

4. An air impeller for refrigerator cars including an elongated housing formed of a sheet of metal having a substantially flat marginal base portion on one side of and bent upwardly adjacent the vertical center of the housing to form an arcuate wall portion through substantially 270 degrees terminating in a depending opposite marginal portion of the sheet aifixed at its lower edge portion to and inwardly disposed with-relation to the edge of said base portion, a metal sheet having a portion thereof in coplanar alignment with said base portion on the other side of said vertical center amxed adjacent its inner m'argin to the adjacent arcuate portion of said housing adapted to complement said base portion to form a base for said housing. Y

'5. An air impeller for refrigerator cars com- Lprising'an elongate housinglhaving a substantially flat base portion, spaced upstanding walls afiixed to the side margins of the base portion connected at their upper portions by an arcuate wall portion, staggered inlet andoutlet openings insaid spaced walls, a shaft extending longitudinally through the housing, a plurality of sets of radial blades carried by the shaft in register with the outlet openings,- the inner surface of the arcuate wall portion being uniformly spaced from the tips of the blades adapted to provide a substantially smooth'surface free from pockets or uneven portions which create turbulence and interfere with the free movement of the impelled air in thehousing. g

I 6.'An air impeller for refrigerator cars comprising an elongate housing circular in sectional configuration and provided with a substantially fiat base portion, staggered inlet and outlet openings in the opposed side walls of thehousing, a shaft extending longitudinally through the housingfa-plurality of sets of radial blades carried by 'the shaft inregister with the outlet openings,

the inner surface of the circularhousing being uniformly spaced from the periphery of the sets of bladesthroughout the interior of the housing whereby to provide a substantially smooth surface freefrom pockets or uneven surfaces around the tips of the blades. a 7

7. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and a floor, a lading floor spaced above said first named fioor,a series of spaced beams supporting the lading floor and interrupted at one point. to

provide-an interfioor space extendingtransverse- 1y across the car the combination of an air impeller unit disposed transversely of the carin theinterfloor space, means mounting the unit s "s for'movement transversely of the car into and out of predetermined operative position, driving means connected to the unit a door opening and a door in said wall'coin'cident one end of said unit, said unit being movable transversely of the car into and out of said car through said door opening, and projecting parts on the door engageable with the unit to maintain said unit against movement'in one direction when said unit'is'in said predetermined operative position and said door is closed and fastened;

8. In a refrigerator car having a side wall and a floor, a lading floor spaced above saidfirst named'floor, an air impeller unit disposed transfile of this patent:

versely of the car in the inter-floor space, means mounting the unitfor'movement transversely of the car into and out of automatic secured relation with the car, said unit being independent of said lading floor and the lading thereon, -'a door openingand a door insaid wall coincident-one end of said unit,'.saidunit being removable from the car through said door opening, and a yieldable member engaging the door and unit to main: 7

tain said; unit in its secured relation with the car irrespective of variations between the adjacent end of the unit and the closed door.-

ARTHURF; OCONNOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record'in the a UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 450,322 France Mar. 21, 1913 

